US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Prime Minister of Suriname, Chan Santokhi, held a press conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C. to discuss trade, investment, and cooperation between the two countries.
The event was attended by a group of journalists from various news outlets, who posed questions to both leaders on a range of topics including China’s growing influence in the region, US-Suriname economic relations, and the current state of bilateral ties.
In response to a question about cooperation with China, Secretary Pompeo stated that “the position which has been addressed by myself is quite clear what the position of United States of America is. Our position as a country is that we are developing our countries with international cooperation with a lot of countries – more than 170 countries we are cooperating.”
Prime Minister Santokhi echoed this sentiment, saying “we need to keep that aspect also into consideration.” He added that Suriname is open to investing in Chinese projects, but emphasized the importance of local content and the need for US companies to invest in the country.
Secretary Pompeo also addressed concerns about China’s influence in the region, stating that “there are certain sectors, okay, when it comes to telecommunications and so forth, where I’m just honest with people. If you’re going to have a telecommunications system that is controlled by Chinese companies, you’re going to have trouble having American investors come in.”
The Secretary also emphasized the need for US companies to invest in Suriname, saying “we want to be able to ensure that we are providing alternatives to what we think is bad workmanship, overbudget, with debt attached, and using their own workers instead of yours.” He added that the US has a long history of investing in Suriname and sees the country as an important partner.
Prime Minister Santokhi also highlighted the potential for cooperation between the two countries, saying “Suriname is a very close country to the United States of America. They don’t have to look for opportunities in the Far East or in Africa. Here we are. Here we have the oil and gas, and we are very happy to welcome the opportunity.”
The press conference concluded with both leaders expressing their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the US and Suriname.
Comments:
Secretary Pompeo emphasized the importance of ensuring that US investors are not put at a disadvantage by China’s business practices.
Prime Minister Santokhi highlighted the potential for cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development and trade.
Key Takeaways:
The US and Suriname have expressed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties, with a focus on trade, investment, and cooperation.
Both leaders emphasized the need for local content and alternative investments to those controlled by Chinese companies.
The US has offered incentives to attract more US companies to invest in Suriname.
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